Mary had some little fans

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Denmark's Princess Mary reads The Ugly Duckling, a Hans Christian Andersen fairytale, to ill children during a visit to Westmead childrens hospital.

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark enchanted some ill children at a
Sydney hospital today when she read them a Hans Christian Andersen
fairytale.

The princess read The Ugly Duckling to the group of
five children as part of her tour of Sydney.

Dressed in a sleeveless brown, green and blue print dress, the
princess arrived at The Childrens' Hospital at Westmead, in
Sydney's west, at 10am (AEDT) today.

Patient Daniel White, five, who will require heart surgery
during adolescence, presented the princess with a colourful bouquet
of flowers as she emerged from her car.

She later sat on the edge of patients' beds and spoke to their
parents before reading to Darya Sabir, two, Jerome McCreadie,
eight, Daniel Martin, five, Kennedy Stokes whose age is unknown and
two-month-old Leonie Beaugard.

After the hour-long visit she toured the laboratories of the
Australian Cancer Research Foundation (ACRF) at Westmead
Hospital.

More than 150 people, offering flowers, biscuits and taking
photographs, greeted the princess as she arrived at the foundation
at 11am (AEDT).

She spent more than 20 minutes shaking hands and posing for
photographs with royal fans who clapped as she mingled with
well-wishers.

The princess will attend a $3000-a-plate dinner for the ACRF
charity at Boomerang in Elizabeth Bay later this evening.